A Cereijan's Guide To - Applying For Your First Posting

Posted on 04 Nov 2017 @ 4:21pm by Petty Officer 3rd Class Raine Ni-ya

732 words; about a 4 minute read

Sitting on the bed, cross legged, the woman looked at the screen. Graduated, with no automatic assignment coming out of it, she had little choice. She sighed as she removed the gloves that covered her hands, reaching to rub the back of her neck with a soft moan. She had been sitting here and staring too long, her muscles were tensing up. “Okay, so stop being a little girl about it and get to it,” she said aloud to herself and stood. She wasn’t tall. Average. If she ever glanced in a mirror she had learned to see herself with the eyes of the people around her, seeing the differences. And with appearance, there were many, from the skin to the bald head, to the eyes and the dark lips. Differences. She had learned that Starfleet liked differences. Or more, the Cadets did. Befriending those that looked so different to them made them feel all inclusive. So many had tried to befriend her. Few succeeded and she counted her friends on her five-fingered hand. And still had a few fingers to spare.

“Come on, come on…Raine, standing there being miserable isn’t going to help you at all. You need to get some work done,” she said aloud to herself before she removed the uniform jacket. She started undressing, slowly, taking a moment not to be distracted at the way her skin sparked as the fabric dragged across it. Hyper sensitivity. It was the way of her people. She had learned to ignore it, to push it aside.

Standing in her underwear she glanced at the mirror again. Her body was covered in small, hexagon scales. Pale, almost white. If she got burned they’d turn silver. And then heal again. If anything her people were resilient. She didn’t touch her skin as she watched herself. Her breasts were small, nature’s way of realising that her people didn’t need them anymore. It was how the nipples had disappeared a few batches ago. Stupid. Her people were so stupid. Thinking they knew best, that they were able to shape themselves into what they wanted. And what had they done? Made themselves infertile, only a handful of people able to produce children. And with their bodies not able to keep up with the demand, the children ended up being grown in labs. Like spinach.

“Stupid,” she muttered and turned away from the mirror, moving to her civilian clothes instead. She pulled on the thick socks first, followed by the trousers and then the tunic. She favoured the greys and whites. It made her look less pale if she avoided bright colours. She took the scarf and wrapped around herself, moving to the bed with a small smile. “Okay. Work.”

She sat down again before she tapped her finger against her leg. “Computer. Start recording.”

Recording

“My name is Crewman Raine Ni-Ya. I am a Scientist with 12 years of experience…no…computer, delete recording and start again,” Raine said and sighed, rubbing her forehead.

Deleted and re-recording

“My name is Crewman Raine Ni-Ya. Recently graduated, I would like to apply as a Scientist’s Mate on the USS Galileo. I am attaching my results from my courses. Outside of that, I am used to working long hours in close to isolation. I wish to see as much of the universe as possible and the fact that the Galileo is a long deployment does not deter me. I believe I am the best person you can get for this positing. If you wish to know more, please invite me for an interview. I am free at any time. Computer, end recording.”

Recording ended

Raine shook her head slowly before she sighed. “If anything, it shows who I am,” she said quietly before she brought up the location to submit her application. “Computer, end file and attached recording to the location listed.”

Processing. Complete.

“At least that is done,” she said and stood, reaching for her boots to put on. She would head out, go for a walk. It was good to walk around now and then and she wished to see more of the city while she could. And she needed to put this out of her mind now. She had done what she had needed to. Now? Waiting.

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